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Bill Christine

Bill Christine, whose first Kentucky Derby was in 1968, covered horse racing for 24 years for the Los Angeles Times. He covered every Triple Crown race from 1982 through 2005, and also reported on the first 22 runnings of the Breeders' Cup. Bill has won two Eclipse Awards for turf writing, five Red Smith Awards for best Kentucky Derby stories, two David Woods Awards for best Preakness stories and the National Turf Writers' Association's Walter Haight Award and Pimlico's Old Hilltop Award for career contributions to racing. He was part of the Los Angeles Times team that won a Pulitzer Prize in 1995 for its coverage of the Northridge earthquake the year before.

Bill is a former president of the National Turf Writers' Association. He has worked for the Thoroughbred Racing Associations, where he was assistant to the executive vice president, and is a former sports editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He wrote Roberto!, a biography of the Hall of Fame baseball player Roberto Clemente, in 1972. Bill, who lives in Redondo Beach, California, is working on a history of Bay Meadows. Contact: bill.christine@yahoo.com

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Monday, November 15, 2010

LOS ANGELES, November 16, 2010--Anybody out there weary of talking about Life At Ten, the 5-year-old mare who ran last in the Breeders' Cup Race Formerly Known as the Distaff? In case you've spent the last week or so in Zanzibar, Life At Ten was the second choice in the betting and ran not a step after showing up in the paddock doing her best zombie imitation. I watched the race from the racebook at the Mirage in Las Vegas. The next day, I read to a seatmate the account in the New York Times, which said that the mare's jockey, John Velazquez, had told ESPN during the post parade that she was listless, and that the trainer, Todd Pletcher, said that she shouldn't have run. "That's (effing) wonderful," this horseplayer from Cleveland said. "All I did was bet five-hundred (effing) dollars on that horse."

Gary Young is not tired of talking about Life At Ten, who was not scratched even though Churchill Downs stewards and Breeders' Cup veterinarians were aware of Velazquez' concerns. In a round-about way, Young was responsible for Candy DeBartolo buying Life At Ten, and had a front-row view of the contretemps that were committed shortly before she ran so poorly in Louisville.

Young has worn so many hats in California racing (clocker, handicapper, assistant trainer, TV analyst, pick-six savant, bloodstock consultant, and probably some that I've overlooked) that I had to ask him which ID he was traveling with these days. "Don't call me a bloodstock agent because I'm not," he said. "Thoroughbred investment advisor. That's about right."

Young's involvement with Life At Ten goes back to her first career start, in November of 2007 at Hollywood Park. "I bet my lungs out on her that day," Young said. At 14-1, Life At Ten finished second. Since Young is not a place and show bettor, either he took a bath or had her in some exotics, I didn't bother to ask. The point is, Life At Ten was still on his mind when Young had dinner with Todd Pletcher at a Mexican restaurant a few days later.

"I need a horse that is ripe to win right away," Pletcher said. Those are the timeless words of a trainer who has a new client and wants to make a good first impression.

"I got just the one," Young said. "A filly called Life At Ten."

So that's the way Candy DeBartolo became a thoroughbred owner for the first time. Her late father-in-law, Ed DeBartolo Sr., collected racetracks, but her husband, Ed DeBartolo Jr., was always too busy running the San Francisco 49ers to logically follow his father into the horse business. Young couldn't remember for sure, but he said that Candy DeBartolo paid well into the six figures to buy Life At Ten.

In her first start with her new owner and trainer, Life At Ten throttled six other maidens at Hollywood; then she tossed in a second-place finish at Keeneland, before returning to Hollywood for a disappointing third as the odds-on choice.

"You can look it up," Young said, "that was a night race. I was in the paddock. She was totally off. Her engine was racing at about 250 miles an hour even before they threw the saddle on her. The result was predictable."

But by the time Life At Ten was ready to run in the Breeders' Cup, she had blossomed into a horse who had won seven of her eight previous starts, including a couple of Grade 1 wins, and her earnings had topped $1 million. Typically, Pletcher had an army of horses to run in the two-day carnival at Churchill, but he told friends midway through the week that his best victory chances were Life At Ten and Uncle Mo, who would indeed win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile. The day Pletcher shipped Life At Ten the 70 miles from Keeneland to Churchill, he sent this dripping-with-confidence text message to Young: "Even her jogging is impressive. I ought to stop at the Red Mile (a harness track in Lexington) and win a race."

Then came race day.

"She was just too damn quiet when they brought her over (to the paddock)," Young said. "If she was racing 250 miles an hour that night at Hollywood, she was going zero miles an hour this day. Completely the opposite. Todd thought that when he put the saddle on her, she'd come to life, but she didn't. (Velazquez) came out and started smooching to her, to wake her up, but nothing helped. There have been suggestions that she tied up (cramped), but I don't buy that. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred--make that 999 times out of a thousand--when a horse ties up, it's exercise-induced. She hadn't done anything to cause tying up."

Young thought the stewards and the vets should have ordered a scratch of Life At Ten, which would have riddled the parimutuel pools. I asked Young whether he thought Velazquez should have gotten off the horse, refused to ride, and that would have forced the stewards' hand. Then they would have either sent into the jockeys' room for another rider, which would have been a Breeders' Cup first, or scratched the horse.

"(Velazquez) was in a tough spot," Young said. "A gate scratch in a $2-million race? He was in an awfully tough spot."

Young recalled Chris McCarron, a Hall of Fame jockey, scratching Fitzwilliam Place, a filly trained by Charlie Whittingham, in a stake in California more than 20 years ago.

"Boy, was Charlie hot," Young said. "Chris had trouble getting back into that barn for three or four years."

Young has thought a lot about what happened to Life At Ten that night at Churchill Downs.

"She didn't run well when they tried her on grass once," he said. "But otherwise her two worst races were that night at Hollywood Park and this night at Churchill Downs. I just think she's a horse that might never adjust to night racing. I think it's night races that she can't handle."

Life At Ten was scheduled to be sold at an auction in Kentucky two days after her Breeders' Cup race, but she was withdrawn and it was announced that she would continue in training with Pletcher.

"That must mean that they're going to race her at six, and she'll be pointed to next year's Breeders' Cup," Gary Young said. "And where will that be? Churchill Downs. And another night race."

I bet on a horse that was supposed to race. The owner/trainer/stewards/vets/jockey new something was wrong and I at that time along with millions of racing fans that bet on Life At Ten were screwed out of there money and a fare race. Todd Pletcher owes every person who bet on that horse a refund because he could of ordered that horse scratched. This is why horse racing is on the decline. I want my money back. It looks like it was all acting on Todd Pletchers part when he came running down to see what was wrong with life at ten. His own jockey told him the horse was not right and that something was wrong. The bell had wrung for the jockeys and John V. was just sitting. I want my money back and the stewards and Todd Pletcher should be investigated. Churchill Downs should order a refund for anyone who bet on Life At Ten in the B.C. I will be the first in line. Dishonesty really pisses me off.

The owner and trainer of Life At Ten along with stewards are the people responsible for cheating millions of racing fans out of money for betting on a horse that they knew did not have a chance to hit the board because the horse was sick. I want my money back. They knew this and should be punished for throwing a race.

Cheating the betting public , it does not get any lower then that now does it. I will never bet another Todd Pletcher trained horse ever because he can not be trusted now. Cheating people out of money , the whole bunch of them should be thrown in jail.

Yes, I am weary of the Life At Ten episode. And, I am nonplussed as to why so many people, like Urbs, are upset. You have all heard of the phrase ‘to big to fail’, and ‘money talks and money walks’. Well, isn’t the Life At Ten fiasco a fine example of the monied involved in racing being the bosses?

Who would dare scratch a Breeders’ Cup horse trained by Pletcher, other than Pletcher himself?
JR wants to ride Pletcher trained horses in the future, he is not going to put the horse ahead of Pletcher.

The stewards and vets? The Breeders’ Cup is Thoroughbred racing’s big day; they see nothing and hear nothing - they want a job tomorrow.

How not to get sucked into all of this? Wager on races going on at numerous other racetracks around the country that involve hardworking trainers and jockeys riding thoroughbreds with the same blood lines; thoroughbreds that are two or five seconds slower per race (or a couple blinks of your eye).

I wish I had the money to buy Life at Ten. It’s a shame Pletcher is her trainer. She needs someone like John Shirreffs, who would take better care of her. I didn’t bet money on her, but I think the betting public was treated unfairly.

I can not understand why more racing fans are upset and mad as hell for having money taken out of there pocket by way of a con. Todd Madoff and what does this say about the owner of Life At Ten and if he knew that his horse did not stand a chance and only raced him to sell him. The betting public was robbed and the world was watching and listening. John V. came right out and said there is something wrong with this horse and the owner/trainer/stewards had plenty of time to scratch that horse and give athe betting public a chance to get a refund. I thought Jerry Bailey was going to have a moment because he could not believe what he was hearing and I said to myself you have to be kidding. The Churchill Downs stewards better start getting there heads out of there ass and fire those vets on track because they are worthless. I am with you Urbs I want my money back.

That is right racing fans just keep your head down and everything will go away. Well Todd Madoff and the owner of Life At Ten should be banned from racing after not listening to the jockey and having that horse scratched. I think the owner knew just what was going on all of the time and he said so what run that horse anyway aand who cares about the betting public. E.S.P.N. should run that entire sound bite and video over the network and lets just see how many of the betting public will want there money back. Todd Madoff the great Breeders Cup Con , what a movie that will turn out to be.

You Tube is who should be showing the sound bites from Bailey and the running of Todd Madoff from his box and the Jockey John V. in the paddock area and the stewards hiding from the cameras and wondering without a clue around the track and lets not forget the vet that could not see and hear at the time because he had his ears plugged and his eyes covered. You Tube You Tube You Tube you have to get ahold of this for showing. A lot racing fans and the betting public want there money back from that race because we were ripped off.

The owner of Life At Ten, has questioned the decision of the Kentucky stewards to let her multiple Grade 1 winner run in the Breeders Cup.

Candy DeBartolo said Kentucky Chief Steward John Veitch and the stewards failed to adjudicate the case properly.

DeBartolo, who was in attendance at Churchill Downs watching the mare for the first time in person, issued a statement on Thursday that said the five-year-old Malibu Moon mare “without equivocation, should have been scratched from the race.”

Veitch said Life At Ten did not show soundness issues while warming up. He also said trainer Todd Pletcher and jockey John Velazquez did not tell state veterinarians that the horse had any physical problems that needed closer observation.

quality road last year, life at ten this year.
it’s the trainer and all the medications and drugs that these horses are getting.
over medicated?
under medicated?
only pletch and his vet know.
the vets are now training the horses and the betting public has no clue as to what’s going on.
that’s why the industry is doomed.

What’s wrong with this picture? You had, in
addition to the indefensible Life at Ten
episod— two world-class riders brawling in the winner’s circle; one horse breaking down and euthanized; one morning-line favorite (Rightly So) a vet scratch...and a nose finish in the Classic called a head in the official chart. And, of course, a Horse of the Generation, who will be, for the third straight year, denied Horse of the Year for a third straight year. And, all this said, several media folks described the event as a “thrilling” Breeders’ Cup.

Got a new thoroughbred as my selection for HOY: Our Royal Affair; keyed first leg of a pick three today at Philly. And who was up? Only Kendrick Carmouche, the top jock at Philly.

So, all you commentators above, what has all those Breeders’ Cup entrants done for you? Oh, I forgot, you all just want to adore and love the thoroughbred (which I have great respect for) but are not into gambling - just what Thoroughbred racing needs. Oh well, to each his own.

I’m sure Pletcher, JR, and the owners have made a deposit into their personal accounts, have you?

Johnny V. if that ever happens again stand up for yourself and say no. They all could of killed that horse when everybody knew something was wrong. I hold Todd Pletcher responsible for the entire thing that happened with Life At Ten. He could of called for that horse to be scratched. It really shows that Todd Pletcher does not give a damm what John V. has to say and he sure does not respect him at all or the outcome would of been different.

What intrigues me most is the idea that she might not like to race at night. I’ve been against night BC racing because it became obvious to me when the Meadowlands opened that there was something different about night racing. Some horses like it some don’t; sort of like Polytrack.

But, unlike Poly, no one seems to oppose BC racing at night so far; except moi.

I would like to know, Why is Life at Ten still with Todd Pletcher?? If the owner really cared about the horse, LAT would have been switched to another trainer by now. It makes you wonder....How can racing expect the public to have faith, when we have problems like this being swept under the rug?

The more the question gestates, the greater its unstoppable velocity becomes:

“What exactly, in John Veitch’s mind, constitutes the definition of incompetence?”

When he was first appointed, did he manage to garner a moment or two by himself, away from the congratulations of mostly self-interested parties?

Did he then think about the concept of what he himself would define as the honorable responsibilities of a racing steward?

Had he conceived of the idea that a steward is responsible – without equivocation & especially charged with the duty of not succumbing to the immature, childish impulse of blaming others, should thing go wrong –

For the welfare of the horses themselves; the bettors; & the owners of the racing horses, which forever should be paramount to the finances of a race track?

There are currently two worthy candidates for professional oblivion.

One is someone who in racing circles is virtually unknown – Cathleen Black, formerly of the Hearst publishing empire, who very recently was inexplicably appointed as the new Chancellor of New York City’s Board of Education.

She has not worked a day in her life as a teacher or manager of any educational system in the United States.

As you can imagine, her credibility in the context of her appointment is non-existent. It is only a matter of time before she will be given a face-saving reprieve, in the form of a voluntary resignation.

The other, of course, is someone whose long career in racing made him appear to be an able & eminently qualified candidate as a racing steward. And so he was appointed, & so he has served for some time now in that capacity.

But Mr. Veitch’s future in that position, it appears, is now as doomed as that of Chancellor Black.

If on the first day of his new career as a steward, had this occurred to him:

“My own definition of inexcusable behavior on the part of a racing steward would be his or her NOT noticing a horse that is obviously in distress –

“A condition witnessed by millions of people, having been alerted by competent television broadcasters during a nationwide airing of the Breeders’ Cup –“

Unfortunately, there is no one to blame here. Outriders have walkie-talkies, and at the request of a jockey, and/or gate vet,can ask the stewards to excuse a horse from a race. Dull and lethargic are terms that desribe many TB’s on the track. I suspect that LAT had a delayed reaction to her lasix earlier but who knows. FYI, John Veitch, Todd Pletcher, and Johnny Velasquez, have done more for this sport than most. They’re not going anywhere.

I think this shows the disgraceful side of horse racing. Forget the betting and the money, who was looking out for “Life at Ten”....the way the her connections are taking care of her, she’ll be lucky if she has a life left at all when they’re done with her!

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